Monday, December 22, 2008

Wreathed In Bread

This month I have the honor and privilege of being the host kitchen for this month's bread baking adventure with the intrepid Bread Baking Babes. When I found out I was assigned to December I knew immediately what I wanted to do - a wreath. The recipe I chose has a sweet, almond filling, but I know that not everyone tilts toward sweet on the sweet/ savory scale, so I gave the Babes free reign to do whatever they wanted in terms of dough and filling, so long as it was in the shape of a wreath. I made the recipe as I found it in the cookbook, but be sure to check out what all the other fabulous Babes have made (their websites are on the side bar). Their creativity knows no bounds!

And if you are inspired to make a wreath for your own celebration, make one, post it and send me a link by the 31st (as lynncraigATcomcastDOTnet) and I will send you a Baking Buddy badge to proudly display on your website.

4- Punch down the dough. Roll into rectangle, 15 x 9-inches, on a lightly floured surface. Spread with the filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges. (I don't think my butter was soft enough as my filling didn't spread. I took bits of it, flattened it between my fingers and pressed that onto the dough.) Roll up tightly, beginning at the wide side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal well. Stretch roll to make even. With sealed edge down, shape into ring on lightly greased cookie sheet. Pinch ends together.

5- With scissors or kitchen shears, make cuts 2/3 of the way through the ring at 1-inch intervals. Turn each section on it's side (90 degree turn), to show off the pretty swirled filling. Cover loosely with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise until double, about 40 to 50 minutes.

* If almond paste is not available, or if you fall down in the aisle at the grocery store when you see the price, you can make your own. In a food processor finely grind 8 oz blanched almonds. Process in 8 oz powdered sugar. Then knead in 1 egg white. Store in the refrigerator.

In a food processor, grind the almonds into a fine powder, approximately 2 minutes. Add the confectioners sugar and blend well. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and with a wooden spoon blend in the egg whites until smooth. On a flat surface lightly dusted with confectioners sugar, roll out the almond paste into a 14" long x 1" round log. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When rested, cut the log in two. On a smooth clean surface, roll out each piece to double its length, approximately 20 inches. Flatten each roll with your fingertips. Using a knife or a metal spatula, score the tops of the logs with crisscross marks. Coil each log and place on a serving plate. Refrigerate until ready to serve. You can store in a closed container in the refrigerator for one week.

Yes Lynn, jaggery is a kind of sweetner. Its different from sugar in the fact that it is unrefined. It takes its sweetness from dates (very close to palm sugar)...close to molasses.Hope this helped. It is found in cube forms and when heated melts like chocolate and is sticky n viscous.